National Geographic Masters of Photography

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Lessons 1–2: Cory Richards—Adventure


Strange or unexpected scenes or discoveries are sometimes present in
adventure photography. Such moments draw viewers into your photographs,
grabbing their attention and prompting them to wonder what’s going on in
the image.

One way to think about telling the story of an adventure as a whole is to
ask yourself a series of questions: First, how can you encapsulate the theme
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adventure itself with the local culture or other aspects of the surrounding
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incorporates many of the basic skills and concepts of photography, such as
creative use of composition and light.

Focusing on the Landscape
In addition to the human element, to tell the story of an adventure, you
also need to show the landscape. After all, adventure photography is about
incorporating the environment into the picture so that viewers start to
understand what it feels like to be there. Try putting small people in large
landscapes to give viewers a sense of awe, or experiment with isolating one
person in the landscape to show hardship. You can also isolate a person by
using color in a monochromatic landscape.

Sometimes, you can put people in a landscape by using silhouette. This
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Silhouette also creates intimate moments—not with the human subjects but
with the landscape itself. This technique focuses viewers’ attention on the
landscape, giving them a sense of awe and wonder.

View the landscape in terms of form. How can you use lines and color to
create unexpected moments that are both engaging to the eye and move your
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